No abstract available.
Dysentery, Amebic ; Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous ; Sigmoidoscopy

Sigmoidscopy is thought to be one of the basest and most essential tools for evaluation of colorectal patient because it could be performed in an out patient clinic with only minimal bowel preparation. AIM: The aim of this study was to assess the patient's best position for sigmoidoscopy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between March 4, 1997 and April 18, 1997, all patients who visited the colorectal clinic at the Dept. of Surgery, Korea Veterans Hospital were alternately underwent sigmoidoscopy in these four different positions: supine(S), left lateral(L), right lateral(R), and jack-knife(J). Sigmoidocopy was routinely performed for all patients who had lower gastrointestinal problems and was done by two well traind surgeons who had performed more than 100 sigmoidoscopies previously to this study, The patients who could not be tolerate insertion of the total length (60 cm) of the sigmoidoscope due to poor bowel preparation and/or complete obstruction by a mass were excluded. We evaluated the patient's complaints according to minimal, moderate, and severe discomfort and time between start and complete insertion of the 60 cm length of the sigmoidoscope. Statistical analysis was performed by an appropriate Anova test and Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: There were no differences among these four groups relative to age(5; 58.0+/-12.7, L; 64.3+/-10.0, R; 62.0+/-10.1, J; 56.0+/-12.9), gender(5; 76%, L; 70%, R; 72%, J, 83%,male ratio), degree of discomfort (mild: 42.9% (5), 50% (L), 33.3%(R), 66.7%(J), moderate: 42.9%(5), 34.6%(L),25%(R), 13.3%(J), severe: 14.3%(5), 15.4%(L), 41.7%(R), 20%(J)) and duration of insertion of the sigmoidoscope(5; 264.4 +/-192.9, L; 226.5 +/-267, R; 301.6+/-361.3, J; 202.5 +/-117.8 seconds). Also, there were no statistical significances between the two groups according to the surgeon who performed the procedure. CONCLUSION: The best position for sigmoidoscopy does not depend on the patient's position. Therefore, allowing the patient to change his position during the procedure would be the best way for an easy and comfortable sigmoidscopy.
Hospitals, Veterans ; Humans ; Korea ; Sigmoidoscopes ; Sigmoidoscopy*

Although malignant melanoma usually occurs after the diagnosis of vitiligo-like depigmentation, the latter is rarely followed by the former. We herein report on such a case in which recognition of the vitiligo-like depigmentation preceded diagnosing the metastatic melanoma by several months. A 56-year-old woman had first developed vitiligo-like depigmentation on the forehead, eyelids, neck and back 18 months previously and thereafter she detected a hard mass in the left axilla 2 months previously. Based on the histologic findings, the axillary mass was diagnosed as metastatic melanoma. To evaluate the primary tumor focus, thorough examinations that included PET-CT, bone scan and sigmoidoscopy were performed, but we couldn`t find any the original primary tumor. Our case suggests that the vitiligo-like depigmentation could be a sign that heralds metastatic melanoma.
Axilla ; Eyelids ; Female ; Forehead ; Humans ; Melanoma ; Middle Aged ; Neck ; Sigmoidoscopy

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Clostridium difficile is an important cause of diarrhea in hospitalized patients. C. difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD) is usually diagnosed following a stool test for C. difficile cytotoxin or stool culture for the presence of toxigenic C. difficile. However, the reported sensitivities of these tests are variable. Sigmoidoscopy may be an effective diagnostic method in patients with a false-negative stool test for cytotoxin. This study examined the role of flexible sigmoidoscopy in the diagnosis of CDAD. METHODS: Among the patients who had diarrhea and were examined with sigmoidoscopy in Eulji University Hospital between January 2005 and July 2008, 102 patients suspected of having antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD) based on their clinical symptoms were enrolled. Of the 102 patients, 74 were diagnosed with CDAD based on C. difficile cytotoxin or sigmoidoscopic findings of pseudomembranous colitis. The medical records of these 74 patients were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: Of the 74 patients, sigmoidoscopic findings revealed a pseudomembrane in 63 patients (85.1%) and colitis in nine (12.2%), while two patients (2.7%) appeared normal. Of the 63 patients with pseudomembranous colitis at sigmoidoscopy, the stool C. difficile cytotoxin assay was negative in 27 (42.9%). CONCLUSIONS: Flexible sigmoidoscopy was highly sensitive in pseudomembranous colitis and is useful in diagnosing patients with a delayed or negative stool test for C. difficile cytotoxin. Therefore, we recommend flexible sigmoidoscopy in patients suspected of having C. difficile-associated diarrhea for the diagnosis of CDAD.
Clostridium ; Clostridium difficile ; Colitis ; Diarrhea ; Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Sigmoidoscopy

Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD) has been one of common nosocomial infections associated with previous antibiotic use. Early diagnosis and adequate management of CDAD is necessary especially for severe cases, however, diagnosis has not been satisfactory. Cytotoxicity assay or toxigenic culture can be considered as a golden standard for diagnosis of CDAD, however, they are labor intensive and require a long time. Instead, a rapid enzyme immunoassay for toxin A and B has been widely utilized in most clinical laboratories. However, its low sensitivity has also been a limitation. Sigmoidoscopy can be helpful in a rapid diagnosis of CDAD for some cases which show negative results in enzyme immunoassay.
Clostridium ; Clostridium difficile ; Colitis ; Cross Infection ; Diarrhea ; Early Diagnosis ; Immunoenzyme Techniques ; Sigmoidoscopy

Intussusception most commonly occurs in children, and in more than 90% of cases, no cause is found. In contrast, intussusception in adults is relatively rare but over 90% of patients have an organic lesion as the cause. Only 5% of cases of intussusception occur in adults and most involve the small intestine and are benign, whereas colonic intussusceptions are usually malignant. We report here a case of a 70-year-old man with intussusception who was referred with a one-day history of hematochezia and abdominal pain. The intussusception was caused by a sigmoid colonic tumor. The CT findings suggested that we could reasonably proceed to a sigmoidoscopy to confirm the site of obstruction. We speculated that the sigmoid colon tumor induced the anterograde intussusception. As with our patient, it is important to recognize the need to diagnose the primary lesion exactly and promptly.
Abdominal Pain ; Adult ; Aged ; Child ; Colon ; Colon, Sigmoid ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Intestine, Small ; Intussusception ; Sigmoidoscopes ; Sigmoidoscopy

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Several lines of evidences suggest that the distribution of colorectal adenomatous polyps are different according to age and gender. Therefore, the efficacy of screening sigmoidoscopy for colorectal cancer not considering age and gender necessitates reappraisal. We aimed to evaluate the distributions of colorectal adenomatous polyps according to age and gender. METHODS: Total of 1,886 patients (1,322 men, 564 women) who underwent colonoscopy at Severance hospital, Seoul, Korea between July 1995 and September 2002, were included. The proximal colon was defined as the colon proximal to the sigmoid-descending junction. The advanced polyp was defined as the adenomatous polyp with one or more of the following features: (1) 1 cm or larger in diameter, (2) villous histology, (3) high grade dysplasia or adenocarcimoma. RESULTS: The risk of adenomatous polyps in the proximal colon was higher in men than women (OR, 1.63; 95% CI, 1.33~1.99, p < 0.05), and increased with age (p < 0.05). The risk of advanced polyps in the proximal colon tended to be higher in men than women, and to increase with age, but did not reach statistical significance. Among 1,886 patients with colorectal adenomatous polyps, 587 patients (31.1%) had polyps only in the proximal colon. Among 814 patients with advanced colorectal adenomatous polyps, 217 patients (26.7%) had advanced polyps only in the proximal colon. The risks of adenomatous polyps or advanced polyps found only in the proximal colon were not different according to sex, but tended to increase with age. CONCLUSIONS: The risk of adenomatous polyps in the proximal colon was higher in men compared to women and increased with age. About one third of the patients with colorectal adenomatous polyps had polyps only in the proximal colon. Colonoscopy is a better strategy for endoscopic screening for colorectal cancer compared with sigmoidoscopy, especially, in elderly male.
Adenomatous Polyps* ; Aged ; Colon* ; Colonoscopy ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Polyps ; Seoul ; Sigmoidoscopy

Necrotizing fasciitis usually occurs after dermal injury or through hematogenous spread. To date, few cases have been reported as necrotizing fasciitis of the thigh secondary to rectal perforation in rectal cancer patients. A 66-year-old male complained of pelvic and thigh pain and subsequently developed necrotizing fasciitis in his right thigh. Four years earlier, he had undergone a low anterior resection and radiotherapy due to of rectal cancer. An ulcerative lesion had been observed around the anastomosis site during the colonoscopy that had been performed two months earlier. Pelvic computed tomography and sigmoidoscopy showed rectal perforation and presacral abscess extending to buttock and the right posterior thigh fascia. Thus, the necrotizing fasciitis was believed to have occurred because of ulcer perforation, one of the complications of chronic radiation colitis, at the anastomosis site. When a rectal-cancer patient complains of pelvic and thigh pain, the possibility of a rectal perforation should be considered.
Abscess ; Buttocks ; Colitis ; Colonoscopy ; Fascia ; Fasciitis, Necrotizing ; Humans ; Male ; Rectal Neoplasms ; Sigmoidoscopy ; Thigh ; Ulcer

PURPOSE: Local treatment of rectal tumors have become an alternative to the classic radical operation. However, conventional transanal procedures are limited to tumors located in the lower rectum and the precision of the excision is restricted by the limitation of the surgeon's visualization during the procedure. This report will present our surgical management and functional results after TEM, a new minimally invasive technique for the treatment of rectal tumors. METHODS: From December 1994 to January 2000, 136 patients underwent TEM. All patients were evaluated preoperatively with sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy with biopsy. The indications for TEM were benign rectal tumors and T1 and T2 malignant rectal tumors with well or moderately differentiation. All patients were followed up 1 month postoperatively and every 3 months thereafter. RESULTS: The mean operation time was 56.5 minutes (25~150 minutes) and the mean postoperative hospital stay was 3.6 days (2~10 days). On the basis of the postoperative evaluations, 56 of the 136 patients proved to have benign tumors while the remaining 80 patients had malignant tumors. One hundred thirty five patients were removed with adequate resection margins. One patient had cancer cell involvement at the resection margin. There were no serious complications. After a mean observation time of 29 months (12~42 months), there were five noted recurrences. Functional results were excellent; 24 of the 136 patients complained of impaired continence or defecation disorders in a review one month postoperatively. These problems improved during the first 6 months after the surgery. CONCLUSIONS: We feel that TEM is an adequate method for removal of benign rectal tumors, and properly selected early rectal cancers.
Biopsy ; Colonoscopy ; Defecation ; Humans ; Length of Stay ; Microsurgery* ; Rectal Neoplasms ; Rectum ; Recurrence ; Sigmoidoscopy

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The aim of this study was to evaluate the characteristics of colorectal polyps, especially distal colorectal polyps and their frequency in patients with colon cancer located proximal to the splenic flexure. METHODS: Among 1,250 patients with colorectal cancer, 269 patients (21.5%) had colon cancer located proximal to the splenic flexure. Of these, 183 patients were involved in this study because complete colonoscopic evaluations to the cecum or to the level of proximal colon cancer were possible. RESULTS: 54 patients (29.5%) had one or more distal colorectal polyps, 33 patients (18.1%) had one or more adenomatous distal polyps, and 3 patients (1.6%) had synchronous distal carcinoma. The percentage of patients without distal polyps was 70.5% of 183 patients with proximal colon cancer, and 80.3% of patients without distal neoplastic lesions. The percentage of patients with advanced lesions (villous component, high-grade dysplasia, or > or =1 cm in diameter) was 40.7% of 54 patients with distal colorectal polyps. CONCLUSIONS: Flexible sigmoidoscopy is insensitive and ineffective for the detection of proximal colon cancer. Ongoing evaluation of colonoscopy as a general screening test is appropriate.
Cecum ; Colon* ; Colon, Transverse* ; Colonic Neoplasms* ; Colonoscopy ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; Polyps* ; Sigmoidoscopy